Monument for the Cutro massacre in Crotone damaged by arson

  ROME -- Sirelli’s work ‘San Nikolaus’ in Crotone has been damaged by arson according to sources from the fire brigade. 

   The art piece, located in Crotone’s Pythagoras Park, was inaugurated in April in memory of the victims of the Cutro massacre, which occured in February 2023. A boat carrying around 200 migrants sank following harsh weather conditions on the coast of Cutro, resulting in the deaths of 94 people. The fire was started by unknown persons, who placed a rubbish can under the hull as a fuse. The Crotone fire brigade attended the scene. 

  “Everything makes me sad.” Explained Massimo Sirelli, the creator of the monument, “I fail to understand the cause.” 

  Sirelli worked on the skeleton of the San Nikolaus boat, a 12-metre barge which arrived at the Crotone Port in March of 2022, carrying 12 Kurdish migrants. The wreck, which was then transformed into art was intended to symbolise welcome. 

  “The artwork has been the fruit of a lot of effort, and understanding what has happened makes one angry.” Sirelli continued. 

“These situations can make us reflect on the lack of awareness of those who made the gesture because they certainly did not understand what they were defacing. Today, young people are probably a lot more sensitive to the common good compared to the past, and for this reason this gesture can only be used as a tool to make their educators reflect.” 

  Mayor of Crotone, Vicenzo Voce, expressed his reaction to the event, “This is a shameful act committed by unspeakable people. Sirelli’s work is a symbol of welcome and solidarity, a testimony to the generosity and of the Crotone community’s openness to others. We are close with the #IStay association that proposed the initiative and with the Jobel Consortium which manages the park. We will work to ensure the monument is restored.” 

  The Jobel Consortium also voiced their anger, questioning “whether behind such acts of vandalism there is the direction of someone who does not appreciate the encouragement of this common good.” 

  Initial reconstructions of the event suggest the arsonists entered the park by breaking a large chain, then ignited the flames by placing a bin full of waste under the monument. This is the third fire to be lit in the park in several weeks. 

lw